In hospitals and inspection institutes, a sample analyzer for measuring items related to the aspects of the sample (specimen) such as blood is used. Various measurements such as general sample examination, re-examination, and reflux examination are performed on various measurement items such as HBsAg and HBeAg in the immune analyzer.
Since such sample analyzer is very expensive, great expense is required to introduce the sample analyzer. Thus, instead of having the user purchase the sample analyzer, it is contemplated that the sample analyzer is leased to the user with consumable goods and maintenance service, and the utility rate is set according to the usage frequency such as number of measurements (see e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication JP2003-279583).
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication JP2003-279583 discloses a technique of connecting the analyzer to an information terminal by way of a network, sending the test number data by analyzing items to the information terminal via the network for every sample type such as precision management specimen measured in the analyzer, patient sample, reexamination sample and the like, accumulating the test number data for one month etc. on the information terminal side, calculating the utility rate of the user based on the totalized result of the test number data of the relevant period and the test unit price, and providing the information on the utility rate to the analyzer side via the network, thus using for collecting the rate.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication JP2003-279583 discloses performing, in addition to cost management as described above, precision management of the analyzer, operation management, and inventory control of consumable goods through the network.
On the user side using the sample analyzer, there is a demand to uniquely recognize the short-term operation state such as one day or one week of the analyzer, or mid to long-term operation state such as one month, three months, or one year with various patterns, and using the same for various managements of the analyzer such as income and expenditure management of hospitals and utility management of consumable goods. However, in the technique of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication JP2003-279583, the number of tests is totalized, but the purpose of use is the calculation of the utility rate of the analyzer, and thus there is no need to totalize the number of tests other than in the counting period (e.g., one month) necessary for the calculation of the utility rate. Thus, the relevant totalized result is insufficient to be used for various managements described above.